On Monday, the 19-year-old Grand Rapids Community College freshman found out he was a father of a four-month-old son, Christian Scurry.

On Friday, Antoine, who trains out of MLK Gym in Grand Rapids, won his first West Michigan Golden Gloves championship when he stopped Adam Lowe of Gallo Boxing Club in the first round of their 141-pound novice title fight at the Grand Valley National Guard Armory.

After a flurry of hard punches to Lowe's head, the referee stopped the contest just over one minute into the first round.

“That fight was for my son.” said Antoine, who is from Ohio. “I had to go down there and take a test, and just found out that I was his father Monday. I went to see him this week, and then came back and fought.”

Antonie, who is now 4-0 with three knockouts, will try to keep his hot streak going next weekend when he fights in the state finals, also to be held at the Grand Valley Armory.

The semifinals are slated for Friday night, and the finals Saturday night. Both nights start at 7 p.m.

“I had a game plan tonight and I stuck with that plan,” Antoine said. “I want to thank my mom (Shunnah Antoine). She has been my biggest supporter, she is my backbone.”

And how did mom react when she found out she was a grandmother.

“She was shocked,” Antoine said. “But she is still supportive.”

For 23-year-old Grand Rapids boxer Nate Sturdivant, a chance meeting with Michigan Golden Gloves president Dave Packer got him back into the sport for the third time.

At the age of eight and 13, Sturdivant tried and walked away from the sport.

Now he is back, and looked impressive Friday night, winning the 114-pound novice championship with a 5-0 win over Anthony Moreno of Bailey's Old Skool B.C.

“Dave Packer saw me at Fifth Third Bank in my varsity jacket and said I should come and box,” Sturdivant said. “I said I was looking for the place, and he told me they (MGGA) moved down the street. That was a year ago February. I just can't get away from the sport, even though I tried and run away from it when I was eight and 13.”

Now Sturdivant is 3-1 and will fight next week for a state championship.

“There was a lot of moving around, I threw a lot of jabs,” Sturdivant said. “I got hit by a couple of hooks, but then I started to block them. I think I kept busy enough to win the fight.”

The night was full of successful boxers from both the MLK and MGGA gyms.

In the novice division, MGGA's Juan Torrez won the 132-pound title with a 5-0 win over Sand Lake's David Lewis and MLK's Marcus Smith Jr. won by medical decision over MGGA's Miles Davis-Murphy when the referee stopped the fight after Davis-Murphy separated his shoulder, which needed to be popped back into place in the ring.

“I have a good team and they got me ready,” Jennings said. “And my faith in God, my family and my hard work helped me win tonight. My whole family was here to support me.”

The night also showcased a former high school state champion sprinter and University of Michigan football player in his first competitive fight.

Kelly Baraka, who won Division 1 titles in the 100 and 200 meters, and later went on to play football for a year and a half in Ann Arbor, won his first fight when he stopped Anthony Romero of Lansing Eastside at 1:57 of the first round on a devastating body punch.

The 29-year-old boxer, who prepped at Portage Northern High School and now trains out of Kalamazoo Eastside, said he was happy with his first fight.

“I just wanted to come out and be comfortable,” said Baraka, who's been training for two years. “It's a lot of mental in your first fight, and I just wanted to come out and seize the moment. I got through it and go the 'W', and hope to do better next week.”